Just Andy
by Piper Elizabeth
Summary: Set a week after the end of Hands On A Hybrid, Andy feels like Josh is pushing her away.  Will their relationship survive?


**Title:** Just Andy

**Rating:** T for normal teenage behavior.

**Disclaimer:** Kyle XY and its affiliated characters do not belong to me.

**Summary:** Set a week after the end of Hands On A Hybrid, Andy feels like Josh is pushing her away. Will their relationship survive? (Okay – I know it's a bad summary, but the story is much better!)

**Spoilers:** All episodes through "Hands On A Hybrid."

She walked slowly down the road until he came into view. He was kneeling beside his car, with his hand dipped in a dark blue bucket. He pulled his hand out, taking with him a soapy sponge. He stood and dropped the sponge on the hood of his car. He began to wipe it down, trying to scrub off some of the dirt that looked like it was going to be there permanently. She smiled as she heard him curse at a small, black spot that was stuck to the paint. As she stared at him from down the street, she wondered how she had gone from teaching him how to treat a girl to wanting him all her own in such a short time.

"Hey there, stranger," she said as she approached the end of his driveway.

He smiled from ear to ear when he saw her. She was wearing his favorite outfit of his – a simple pair of Jeans and a pink and green striped T-Shirt. Her hair fell free around her shoulders with no hat to cover it.

"Hey yourself," he replied, dropping the sponge back in the bucket. It splashed water and suds on the pavement below.

"So, trying to clean up the old clunker, huh?" She asked, walking closer to him.

"I thought if it were cleaner, I might be able to pick up some chicks," he answered smugly.

He began to walk towards her, meeting her halfway down the driveway.

She raised an eyebrow. "Chicks, huh?"

"Well, one chick in particular."

He put his arm around her, pulling her towards him. She could feel the water that was on his hand, soaking through the fabric of her shirt.

"You're wet!" She shrieked, playfully pushing him away.

"Doesn't bother me," he remarked, leaning in to kiss her.

She closed her eyes as their lips met. She could feel his grip on her grow stronger and she wrapped her arms around his neck, succumbing to his kiss.

It was just one week ago that they had shared their first kiss after the cancer benefit. Andy had surprised herself that she was the one to lean in and kiss him first. She hadn't expected to. In fact, she had told herself from the minute she realized that she liked him as more than a friend that she would never cross that line. But she couldn't help it. There was a yearning deep inside of her and she had to release it. And she was glad she did.

They spent the rest of the evening talking. Even after the Rack closed, they went for a walk, hand in hand around their neighborhood. They discussed everything from video games to school to Andy's two moms. The only topic they didn't talk about, for which Andy was grateful, was her cancer. It was the one thing she just couldn't bear to share with him.

Andy felt Josh's hands settle around her waist. She stroked his cheek as their kiss intensified.

"Ahem."

Andy opened her eyes and saw Josh's mother standing only feet away from them. She immediately pulled away from him and looked down at the ground.

"Hello Andy," his mother said.

"Hello Mrs. Tregar," Andy mumbled as she felt her cheeks turn red. She shoved her hands into the pockets of her Jeans.

"I'm off to run some errands. Josh, can I see you for a minute?"

"Yeah, sure."

He winked at Andy as he followed his mother to the house. They stopped at the doorway. Andy leaned against Josh's car, pretending not to listen.

"Josh…" his mother began.

"Mom, please, before you say anything, just remember that she's only standing ten yards away."

His mother smiled. "Look, I'm glad that you and Andy are…seeing each other, but I want you to remember that she's sick, Josh."

He rolled his eyes. "Believe me, you don't have to remind me. It's about all I can think about."

"Just be careful, honey."

"Is that a be careful because she's sick and I don't want you to be heartbroken when she gets sicker or is that a be careful because she's sick and she should be in bed resting instead of being out with me?"

Nicole sighed. "Just…be careful." She kissed him on the top of the head. "I'll be home for dinner."

"Bye mom."

She walked towards her own car, which was parked on the street.

"You two have fun today," she called out as she got into her car.

Josh walked back to his car as Nicole pulled away.

"So, was that the don't have sex inside the house while I'm gone speech?" Andy asked, smiling.

"Something like that," Josh replied. He reached out for her hand. "Now, where were we?"

She slipped away from him and dipped her hand into the bucket, grabbing the sponge.

"I think you were about to start scrubbing the rims."

She threw the sponge at him, hitting him in the shoulder. He caught the sponge before it fell to the ground, but not before it left a large wet mark on his shirt. He looked from the wet spot to her and smiled a very fake smile.

"Oh, I don't know," he said, walking towards her. "I can think of something else that needs to be cleaned." For every step he took towards her, she took two steps back. Eventually, they were on opposite sides of the car. Josh dunked the sponge back into the bucket of water and took it out, dripping wet.

"You wouldn't," she said.

"How about we make a deal?"

"What kind of deal?"

He walked towards her slowly.

"I won't hit you with this if you came inside with me and…"

Before he could finish his sentence, he saw that Andy was holding a hose and it was pointed at his chest. He put his hands up in the air as if she was holding him hostage.

"And what exactly did you want to do while we were…ah…inside?" She asked, grinning.

"Well, the way I see it, we've got two options." He moved towards her. "We can either go inside and make out on the couch or…" he closed the gap between them until they were only inches apart. "I can tackle you to the ground right here and make out. The choice is yours."

"Well, the way I see it, we've got one option."

"And what's that?"

He ran his hand through her hair and felt the cold water hitting him in the stomach. He immediately leapt back and darted around to the other side of the car. Andy chased after him with the hose, soaking him.

He shouted for her to stop, but she continued to laugh and spray him. Laughing himself, Josh ran around the car, wishing he hadn't thrown away his super soaker when they cleaned out the garage two weeks earlier. Trying his best to avoid her, while also trying to figure out a plan to get her back, he saw the bucket full of soapy water on the other side of the car. He raced around the car and, unbeknownst to Andy, put one hand on the bucket.

"Not such a smooth talker now, are you?" Andy teased, finally letting go of the nozzle so the hose stopped spraying.

"Oh, I don't know about that," Josh replied.

In one quick motion he lifted the bucket and tossed it at her. The water and suds covered her from head to toe. She stood completely silent for a moment, her hair plastered to her face, her new Jeans soaked completely through.

"I may not be a smooth talker, but I do have aim," he remarked, grinning.

"Oh, I'll show you aim!" Andy shrieked, giggling. It had been a long time since she remembered laughing and smiling so much. She leapt into his arms and they both went tumbling to the ground.

"Why, Andy Jensen, I do believe you're trying to take advantage of me," Josh stated as Andy fell on top of him.

"I do believe you're right."

She crushed her lips to his and buried her hands in his hair. She could feel one of his hands running up and down her side. His other hand ran through her sopping wet hair. She parted her lips, allowing him free access to her mouth. She wanted to taste every part of him. She wanted to remember what it was like to truly kiss him. They rolled over together, their bodies entwined so much so that they could not tell where one of them ended and the other began. She felt his hand against her cheek and she shivered.

Josh immediately stopped kissing her.

"Why'd you stop?" She asked, still able to feel the sensation of his lips against hers.

"You're soaked," he replied, scrambling to get off of her.

"Josh, you're soaked, too," she stated as if she had to remind him that his body was also covered in water.

He stood up, towering over her.

"You've got to get out of those wet clothes." His voice was stern and unwavering.

"Josh?"

"Come on," he said, grabbing her hand and practically yanking her to her feet.

"What is wrong with you?" She asked as he trudged towards the house. "Josh?"

He didn't respond, but instead walked into the house, leaving the front door open. Andy debated on staying outside until he came back out, but she eventually ended up following him. She found him upstairs in his bedroom, digging through his closet.

"Here," he said, shoving a T-Shirt and pair of sweatpants at her.

"What am I supposed to do with those?" She replied, trying to figure out just what was up with him.

"Change into them. There are some towels in the bathroom closet to dry off with."

Andy hesitantly took the clothes. As soon as he had handed them off, Josh turned so he wasn't facing her. She began to walk slowly out of his room, already beginning to feel the tears forming. As she reached the doorway, she turned back to look at him, but his back was still facing her. She blinked back tears and headed for the bathroom.

As she slammed the bathroom door closed, her clothing and hair dripping, she knew that the only person to blame for her predicament was herself. She should never have let him get that close. She should never have let herself feel the things that she felt for him, but she couldn't help it. He was the only person who had ever made her truly feel alive.

She put his clothes on the sink, stripped herself of her sopping wet clothes, and threw them on the floor. Opening the closet door, she found the biggest, fluffiest towel she could find and she wrapped it around her body. She picked up the clothes Josh had given her. As she unfolded the T-Shirt, she noticed that it was the one with the sunglasses on it. It was the one that he had worn the first time they kissed.

Seeing it, she broke down. Sobbing, she lowered herself onto the toilet and buried her head in her hands.

In his room, Josh stared at his messy closet until he heard the bathroom door close. He let out the breath he had been holding. He quickly changed out of his wet clothes and sighing, he collapsed onto his bed. Everything with Andy had been going perfectly, minus the news that she had cancer. Josh's idea of wanting to be alone with her in a dark room seemed to be coming true, but any time he felt himself getting close to her, he thought of her cancer. He was worried about her. He was worried about her staying out too late and not getting enough rest. He was worried about her even getting so much as a cold that might hurt her chances of getting better. He was worried that he was pushing her too far.

He rolled onto his side, wondering what he should do. He wanted to talk to her about it, about everything, but he knew that she didn't like to talk about it. She just wanted to pretend that she was fine even though Josh knew better. He thought back to the day they went to the woods and Andy was too proud to say she was cold. What if she was too proud to tell him she was hurting?

The sound of coughing shattered his thoughts. Josh swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood. He walked slowly towards the bathroom. He put his hand on the door as if it would somehow help him see through the solid wood.

He heard the coughing again.

Panicked, Josh yanked the door open.

"Josh!" Andy exclaimed, clutching the towel she had around her to her chest. She quickly tried to wipe the tears from her face.

"Are you okay?" He asked, hanging by the doorway. He looked her over from head to toe. The fact that she was in a towel undeniably turned him on, but he tried to ignore it. He instead focused on her face. He knew she had been crying.

"I'm fine," she snapped, grabbing a tissue from the back of the toilet and wiping her eyes.

"I heard you coughing and…"

"I said I'm fine," she stated, blinking back more tears. Part of her wanted to yell at him to leave her alone and the other part wanted to ask him why he had pushed her away, but she couldn't because she already knew the answer.

"I just wanted to make sure," he mumbled.

"Well, as much as I know how much you like staring at me half naked, I'm gonna have to ask you to leave," she said, trying to sound as Andy-like as possible.

"Yeah…sorry."

He closed the door.

Andy leaned her head against the wall. A single tear slipped down her cheek and she quickly brushed it away. At that moment, she didn't care what she was wearing or not wearing nor did she care about the repercussions of the questions she had to know the answers to. She stood up, whipped the door open, and marched into Josh's bedroom.

"Just tell me why," she said with as much force as she could muster.

Josh was sitting on his bed, a comic book in his hand.

"Looks like you're still half-naked," he joked.

"Don't play with me, Josh Tregar."

"Oh, but it's okay when you do it to me?"

He stood up and took several steps closer to her. He desperately tried to ignore the fact that she was standing in his room with nothing but a towel on.

"What are you talking about?" She asked.

"Forget it."

"Tell me what you meant."

"Any time I want to talk about…about something, you make a joke or tell me you don't want to talk about it. And now, I make a joke and you get mad?"

She sighed.

"Don't you get it? I don't want to talk about it with you because when I'm with you, I want to pretend that it doesn't exist. The only time I forget that I'm sick is when I'm with you and…and I can just be me and not the me with cancer. And that's why I have to know why. And I promise you that I won't hate you or hold it against you, but I just have to know."

He took a step towards her and she took a step back. If she was going to say what she had to say, she couldn't be near him.

"Know what?" He asked.

"I need to know why, every time we get close, you push me away."

"What?"

"Yesterday night when you brought me home, I all but invited you into my bedroom and you left me on the front porch with a kiss on the cheek. Now, out in the front yard, we're making out and you…you tell me I need to go in and change my clothes. If…if I'm a bad kisser or if…you can't deal with the fact that I have cancer, just tell me, Josh, because…because I can't do this anymore."

"I'm just trying to protect you," Josh replied honestly.

"Protect me?"

"Do you think I want to push you away? Don't you think I would rather have gone up to your room with you last night? I mean…you're standing here…right in front of me in…in a towel. Don't you know how much self control it's taking me right now not to throw you down on my bed?"

"Then why don't you?"

"Because I don't want to lose you!"

"Josh, you're not making any sense."

"I just keep thinking that…that I could wake up tomorrow and you could be gone. And I don't want that to happen. I want to keep you safe, Andy. I want to make sure that you don't stay out too late or…or lay on the cold ground in wet clothing…or overexert yourself because I want you to get better."

She shook her head.

"I should never have told you."

"About what? About having cancer?"

Josh reached out for her arm, but she pulled it away and backed up. She could feel the tears welling up again.

"Every time I tell someone I have cancer, they treat me differently. They treat me like I'm some kind of porcelain doll that could break at any moment so they keep me wrapped up in bubble tape on the shelf. I didn't want that from you. That's why it took me so long to tell you. I just wanted to be myself with you. I want to be just Andy!"

"You can be yourself with me."

"No, I can't. Not as long as you keep treating me the way that you do!"

"Andy, I don't treat you…"

"Yes, you do! You just admitted that you treat me as if I'm sick! You say you're trying to protect me, but I don't need protection!"

"Andy…"

The tears began to fall fast and hard, much like how she had fallen for him.

He reached out for her again, but again, she moved back. She found herself bumping into his bureau.

"Don't!" She warned, turning away from him.

"I never meant to hurt you. I thought I was doing what was best for you…for us."

"There is no us."

He threw his hands up into the air.

"I don't get it, Andy. Maybe I made some mistakes. Maybe I shouldn't have treated you like you were sick and I'm sorry that I did, but what do you expect when you don't talk to me about it? I know nothing about your cancer. I don't know how bad it is, I don't know what kind of treatments you have to have. If you talked to me…if you told me what was going on…"

He sighed.

"Look," he continued, "I know you don't like to talk about it because you just want to forget it, but it doesn't work like that. You can still be the same Andy even if you do talk about it. Cancer isn't who you are, it's just something you have to fight. It's something that'll make you stronger. And I promise you that I'll never treat you differently if you promise to talk to me. Don't shut me out and I promise you that you will always be just Andy to me."

She sniffled.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

"Me too."

She turned back to face him and he approached her slowly.

"I know I haven't exactly made this easy for you and I know that sometimes I'm going to want to shut you out and that there will be bumps along the road, but…I want you there with me as long as you want to be there."

"More than anything."

He closed the gap between them, wrapping his arms around her. Her arms snaked around his neck as she pressed her face against his chest.

"And believe me," he added, "there is nothing wrong with your kissing."

She looked up at him, smiling. He lowered his lips to hers. The kiss started out slow, but increased in intensity. She felt shockwaves cascading through her body as she felt his hands rubbing her back.

"You're still in a towel," he whispered, placing a trail of kisses down her jaw.

"And we're still standing," she replied, a gasp escaping through her lips. He had found the spot below her ear that made her weak in the knees.

They walked together, never letting go of each other. Josh backed up against the bed and they collapsed together. Without breaking their kiss, they managed to scoot themselves to the top of the bed and Josh rolled over on top of her.

Gasping, they both stopped kissing to fill their lungs with air. Josh pushed a strand of hair behind Andy's ear.

"You're so beautiful," he said.

"Is that because I'm lying in your bed in a towel?" She asked, giggling.

"No, it's just because you are."

Josh snuggled in beside her, placing his arm protectively around her waist. She sighed contently, knowing that no matter what, he would always be there for her. And, most importantly, she didn't have to worry about who she was because she knew that she would always be just Andy.

Author's Note: Okay, I started this story as a fluffy one-shot, but it kind of took on a life of its own. It's always difficult for me to write a "short" story, but I'm still working on it. I hope you liked this one and please review! Oh, and be on the lookout for more Jandy stories soon!


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